The Bridge Builder, Spring 2010

Spring 2010

Volume 1, Issue 3

Inside this Issue:  Stories about the pledge experience  From the President’s Desk  Spring 2010 News & Accomplishments

The Bridge Builder Connecting with Alumni, Families, & Friends of Beta The Newsletter of the John Carroll University Colony of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity

The Colony Welcomes Seven New Brothers from the Epsilon Class On Tuesday, April 13, seven new brothers were initia ted into membership of Beta Theta Pi. They had been under the guidance and instruction of Member Educator John Jackson ’13 for a period of eight weeks, which included a weekend brotherhood retreat at nearby Carrollodge, where they learned about fraternity history and participated in trust-building exercises. They also participated in the Labre Project, a service event every Friday night when JCU students go to Our Seven Brothers from the Epsilon Class: downtown Cleveland to offer food and Dominic Iacozili, Christopher Saniuk, Spencer German, fellowship to those living on the streets. Ethan Hockett, Richard Mazzola, Enzo Miceli, William Murray We offer our sincere congratulations and welcome to the following:

Dominic Iacozili ’12, Economics/Political Science major from Warren, OH Christopher Saniuk ’12, Marketing/Accounting major from North Royalton, OH Spencer German ’13, Communications major from Rochester, NY Ethan Hockett ’13, Business major from Oak Hill, OH Richard Mazzola ’13, Accounting/International Business major from Parma Heights, OH Enzo Miceli ’12, Finance/Accounting major from Webster, NY William Murray ’13, Environmental Science major from Pittsford, NY

A New Member’s Experience Throughout the pledge process the Epsilon class has grown extremely close and we have had the opportunity to get to personally know each other.

Each member of this semester’s pledge class is unique and offers something different to the fraternity while still living to the motto of "Gentlemen, Leaders, and Scholars." I have never experienced a situation in which a group of guys all get along as well as the Epsilon Class does with each other.

The seven of us come from diverse backgrounds, but we all have the ability to respect each other and our differences.

Epsilon—Greek Letter

Every Wednesday for eight weeks, we have had the opportunity of meeting with our pledge instructor, John Jackson. It has been a great opportunity to learn what beliefs and principles Beta Theta Pi is based upon and how it was founded. Pledge class also taught the Epsilon class what it means to be a Beta and how important it is to represent the fraternity well, but most importantly it gave us the opportunity for us to bond and grow close to our pledge class. Without pledge class, I'm not sure if the Epsilon Class would have grown as close as we did. I continue to be very grateful for the opportunity to get to know my brothers on a personal level.

One of my favorite events during the pledge process was when the Epsilon Class helped the homeless on the West Side of Cleveland with the Labre Project. It was humbling for us to see the unfortunate circumstances of others and have the opportunity to give them temporary relief from their misfortune. It was also a great experience to grow closer, but most importantly it taught us that no matter where life takes us we will always have each other to count on during our good and bad times. ~Dominic Iacozili ‘12

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The Bridge Builder: Connecting with Alumni, Families, & Friends of Beta

From the President’s Desk

President Andrew Lane and his mother, Vivian, at our Mothers’ Tea in March.

Brian Pestotnik ‘12, Kyle Sobh ‘10, and Jeff Bartolozzi ‘10 volunteered at the Class of 2014 Celebration.

Andrew Lane ‘12 (front left), serves on the first Sons of the Dragon Club Council.

It is a bittersweet time for the gentlemen of Beta Theta Pi as we approach out last few weeks of class for the spring semester. As graduation day approaches and we have to say our final farewell to ten of our graduating seniors, some of whom are founding fathers, it is hard to imagine our colony without them. Although these seniors have left a lasting legacy for our colony, I have full faith and confidence that our current members will continue to live up to our standard of being Men of Principle as well as gentlemen, leaders, and scholars. We will continue to build upon the bridge that was left before us for those to come in the future.

Spring always seems to be a time of celebration and fun at John Carroll. This semester we participated in service opportunities such as Labre and at the Orange Senior Center, formals, and numerous campus events. Soon after our seven new members joined our fold, as part of the Epsilon class, we welcomed our mothers to campus for the third annual Mothers’ Tea. This event allowed all of us to put the stresses of college life on hold and enjoy time with our mothers. On Saturday, April 10, we celebrated all day long. Starting at 7:00am we volunteered our time and talents to help the John Carroll University Office of Admission host its Class of 2014 Celebration. As the sun set, we traveled to the Mayfield Sand Ridge Club for our spring formal. The night was full of great food and dancing. Our dancing continued for the next couple of weeks as we prepared for our lip-sync performance. Greek Week was held April 18-25.

During this week our brotherhood grew stronger as we competed in various activities and spent time with each other showing others the pride we have for Beta Theta Pi. In the midst of class, schoolwork, and our jobs, we also finished a

complete revision of all of our governing documents—a process that took countless hours to complete. We have also spent numerous hours working on our chartering petition to receive our charter this summer at Beta Theta Pi’s annual General Convention August 5-8.

Many of our members deserve recognition for their great achievements this semester. Jurell Sison was one of six finalists for the Beaudry Award. In addition, our former colony president and my big brother, J.J. Kuczynski, was named the 2010 Millor Orator. He will be the only graduating student to speak at Commencement.

It will be an honor to hear J.J. address his graduating class on May 23. Congratulations Big Brother!

As I walked past the quad today, the maintenance staff was cutting the grass. I could not help to think about how soon the quad will be transformed for graduation and how fast our time at John Carroll passes. Nevertheless, I envisioned our ten graduating seniors receiving their degrees and entering a new stage of their lives. I could picture the smiles and tears that will come with that day, but could also picture the great opportunities that await our seniors in the “real world.” I am thankful for the time and memories I have shared with these men and wish them the best of luck and success in the years to come. It is bittersweet to see the end of one semester come to a close and wait for another one to begin.

I wish you all a fun and safe summer. ~Andy Lane ‘12

Colony President

Left: J.J. Kuczynski ‘10 was named the 2010 Millor Orator; he will be the only graduating student to speak at Commencement on May 23.

Class of 2010 at our Spring Formal

Right: Jurell Sison ‘10 was one of six finalists for the Beaudry Award.

Volume 1, Issue 3

Page 3

Inside Scoop from a New Member It’s hard to believe we are already nearing the end of the school year. Recruitment began in the end of January, which seems like just a few weeks ago; now it’s already the end of April. The pledge process was very enjoyable. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but now it feels great to be an active member. Bistro Night was the first recruitment activity I attended. I really did not know much about Beta, but I decided to go and see what it was about and meet some of the guys. It turned out to be a good idea—right from the start I could see that the Betas were a great group of people with whom I wanted to associate. The rest of recruitment week flew by with activities like the Cavs’ game and service project, and the next thing I knew I had a bid.

My favorite part of the whole pledge process was the retreat. It was truly a great opportunity to learn more about my fellow Epsilon class and even some of the actives. When it was over we all left with more knowledge and greater appreciation for one another. A great deal of trust and respect was created. It was also nice to get away from school work and studying for a little bit.

The Epsilon Class at Carrollodge

When initiation occurred mid-April it was a shock that eight weeks had already gone by. The initiation ceremony was nice; the Rituals practiced were very unique. It was one of the best feelings for me when I heard my name called to go sign the roll book. I was thrilled to now be part of such a great fraternity. I am looking forward to what the next two years will bring. Overall, the pledge process has made me more of a gentlemen, leader, and scholar. ~Christopher Saniuk ‘12

News & Accomplishments This semester has been another busy one for Betas at JCU. You already saw from some of our newest brothers how great the semester has been going with the new member retreat and service events, but we have also been busy with the Epsilon Class initiation, our spring formal, Greek Week, Relay For Life, and more. We are now sadly preparing for our Senior Send-Off ceremony, which is never easy for anyone because we don’t like seeing our brothers leave. To counter that sadness, we also have a lot of excitement building in the midst of the chartering process. We are in the final stages of completing our chartering application and preparations are already underway on our presentation that we will give at the 171st General Convention this August in Washington, D.C. Brandon Sheil ‘10 was recognized as one of the 2009 Student Leaders of the Year and named Greek Week Most Honorable Man.

Chris Shaheen ’12 was inducted into Order of Omega in April.

Andrew Vogel ‘11 and Jamie Ott ’10 both had the honor of being inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the National Jesuit Honor Society.

We won the Midwest Member Education Award this February at the Keystone Regional Leadership Conference in Lisle, IL.

The Sons of the Dragon Club is the Beta Foundation’s new annual giving club specifically for undergraduates. The purpose is to create awareness of the mission, goals, and activity of the Beta Theta Pi Foundation and to establish a culture of lifelong annual giving to the Beta Leadership Fund. We had 72% of our brothers join the Sons of the Dragon Club this year!

The Bridge Builder: Connecting with Alumni, Families, & Friends of Beta

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2010 JCU Beta Theta Pi Alumnus Award Recipient—Peter Poznako Peter Poznako ’09 received the first JCU Beta Theta Pi Alumnus Award at the Spring Formal at Mayfield Sand Ridge Club on April 10. Peter currently resides in Parma, Ohio, but while attending JCU, he majored in Economics earning a BSE from the Boler School of Business. He was involved with SUPB, Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity, Finance Association, Order of Omega, Beta Theta Pi, and the Interfraternity Council as Vice President of Finance and Administration, and a number of other organizations. During the Spring semester of his sophomore year he studied abroad in London, England through the Boler School. When he returned to John Carroll in the Fall of his junior year, he joined Beta Theta Pi as one of its Founding Fathers. Since then, Beta has been a major part of his life, not only during his time at JCU, but also as an alumnus.

While a collegiate member of Beta Theta Pi, he served on the Executive Board as the first Ritual Chairman. He organized and instructed the Ritual ceremonies including Initiations and our first Eye of Wooglin. Greek Life, and Beta in particular, opened up many amazing opportunities for him, as he was able to attend Keystone and the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI), as well as the MGCA Conference on behalf of IFC. He participated in service events, other Greek-sponsored events, and helped organize Lip Sync in 2009. He met lifelong friends and gained important leadership skills. In his spare time he loved hanging out with his brothers, whether they were in the dining hall, the library, or taking a weekly trip to Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

He currently works as an Operations Analyst for Victory Capital Management in International Operations, where he works closely with the International Trading Desk. Everyday is a challenge, but rewarding. When he is not working he enjoys being with friends, hanging out with his Grandma, and advising Beta at John Carroll. Even though he now lives apart from the brothers, he still stays connected to those he graduated with as well as the brothers who are still in school. They have all become best and closest friends. No matter where they are or how much time has gone by, they just pick up where they left off. Though his role in Beta quickly turned from active to alumnus and advisor, it has become even more rewarding. As an advisor, a friend, and a brother, he has a completely new perspective on Beta and is proud to assist his undergraduate brothers who are continuing on and bettering the legacy of Beta Theta Pi at John Carroll.

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